Neutron Stars in Einstein–Cartan Theory
This project is joint work with Cédric Jockel, who is currently researching neutron stars at the MPI for Gravitational Physics in Potsdam.
We investigated how the structure of Neutron Stars changes in Einstein–Cartan (EC) gravity. EC gravity allows for non-zero torsion, an inherent geometric property of a connection that is set to zero a priori in usual gravity. Torsion naturally couples to the spin of fermionic matter. It has been shown in previous work that this leads to a "big-bounce" type of big bang scenario. There is however very little work on neutron stars in EC gravity.
In this first forray into the matter we want to quantify the possible effects of torsion on neutron star structure as well as discuss potential sources. We find that microphysical effects are non-significant (which is to be expected) and identify rotation as a potentially significant source. The paper can be found on the arxiv.
The original idea for this paper originates from plenty of interesting discussions on alternative theories of gravity at the 2022 Bad Honnef Physics School on Black Holes. I am very grateful to the organisers for bringing together young physicists from diverse backgrounds and providing the perfect atmosphere for hour-long debates on fundamental physical questions.
Selected Works
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ORCID: 0000000306214977
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